I wrote a lengthy post recently about our efforts to raise money to help a homeless family here in Austin. In a nutshell, we are raising money to purchase a mobile home, then they will be in a position to pay their own way (lot rent + utilities).

We met this family in July (dad was on the side of the road with a sign), and we've become good friends since then. It's a mom, dad, and 8-year-old boy. The mom was diagnosed with MS two months ago, and their son has special needs. They are striving to get back on track as a famliy in a number of ways. The whole story is here if you want the background: http://actvra.in/MTQ

At this point, we have raised almost $8000, and we need another $3948 to fully fund the project. I am expecting several more donations of unspecified amounts in the next day or two.

Here's a breakdown of our costs:

$10,000 - used mobile home in good condition (see photos)

$1,800 - estimated cost to move it

FREE - utility hookup for electricity and plumbing (special at the mobile home park)

The mobile home is valued at over $17k, but we negotiated a phenomenal deal, partially because of the story I told the seller about my friends and their situation.

If you have any interest in helping us get the remaining funds, you can donate here: